Check the battery

• Check that the battery for the portable DVD player hasn't run out of power, since then nothing works. Also, if the battery power is low, this can cause the player to be working erratically. Try plugging the portable DVD player into a wall socket for AC power to see if it now works or works better. If it does, continue watching or wait while the battery charges up.
  
  

Check the disc

• The DVD might be damaged or dirty, causing it to skip while playing, or not play at all. Angle the side of the disc that doesn't have a label on it towards a light so that any scratches or dents can be seen. If there are too many, discard the disc and get a replacement.
  
  Use a lintless cloth and lightly flick any dust off the disc. Then lightly buff it with the cloth using a swirling motion. Then try playing it again in the portable DVD player.
  
  

Check the DVD player's disc menchanism

• The DVD could also skip or play poorly if there's dust or debris inside of it. Look inside where the DVD goes and make sure there isn't any dust or dirt lying inside the edges of the cover or on the mechanism where the disc is placed. If there is, angle the portable DVD player so that gravity takes care of pulling away the dirt. Then take a camel's hair brush and lightly blow dust away from the mechanism and the inside of the player.
  
  A lintless cloth can also be used to flick away dust from inside as well. This will also clean the area where the lens for the laser resides and ensure a better playback when you try playing the disc again.
  
  A cleaning disc that can be purchased commercially can also be used to do this inside cleaning.
  
  

The DVD disc gets stuck

• If the disc gets stuck inside the player and won't eject, lightly insert a safety pin into the "DVD Eject" hole to get the portable DVD player to open up so the disc can be removed.
  
  

Check the DVD player settings

• If the DVD image on the screen of the portable player does not look right, it could be that the settings for playing the disc are not correct. Make sure that the brightness and contrast level controls are normal and that any other visual controls are set to your personal preferences.
  
  

The portable DVD player doesn't seem to ever perform right

• If the portable player seems defective, check the website of the company who makes it to see if there are any known issues that can be corrected at home, or if the player must be returned for repair, replacement or a refund.